By the numbers

Anaheim Transportation Network

•The nonprofit organization provides public transit, with 60 percent to 75 percent of its funds coming from riders on its shuttles. Participating hotels contribute 48 cents per room per day to fund the shuttles, which primarily take tourists to the Disneyland Resort and the Anaheim Convention Center. The network also receives capital funds from the federal government, as well as local grants such as from the Orange County Transportation Authority.

•A 14-member board of directors oversees the network.

ANAHEIM – A shuttle service that primarily served Disneyland-area tourists now is targeting new customers – commuters from the Inland Empire.

The Anaheim Transportation Network has added a route that runs to the Anaheim Canyon train station in Anaheim Hills, which has Metrolink service to Riverside and San Bernardino counties. With Metrolink tickets, commuters can now jump aboard, for free, a shuttle to downtown Anaheim and the Disneyland Resort.

"I feel like a tourist every time I ride this one," said Nam Nguyen, an electrical engineer for the city of Anaheim.

The 10-year-old network mostly operates the Anaheim Resort Transit shuttles and buses, designed for tourists and convention-goers to get to Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center, as well as to hotels.

But the network, with about 20 routes, recently began adding more service aimed at local employees, including a route through Anaheim to Buena Park. Disney alone has 25,000 employees in Anaheim.

The network received $677,528 from Orange County Transportation Authority and the city for the program designed for connections to train stations until 2017. Most of the money came from a grant that is part of Measure M, the half-cent sales tax approved by Orange County voters for transportation projects.

In addition, the network receives $2 per ticket from Metrolink to help fund the shuttle, said Diana Kotler, executive director of the Anaheim Transportation Network.

The city had paid for a shuttle for its workers linking City Hall and the Canyon station. But starting in late February, the network began running the shuttle that goes to the Disneyland area in addition to City Hall, said Diana Kotler, Anaheim Transportation Network's executive director. Disney employees previously had to take long bus rides and train connections to reach their workplace.

The network, which promotes local businesses and takes pressure off heavily used local streets, was working out kinks.

Signs were slow to be placed at some of the stops, and the route had yet to be advertised on its website.

On a recent Thursday evening, Disneyland worker Michael McVay of Norco picked up the shuttle from outside the park for the second time. He usually takes the bus to a train station.

"I'm just trying out the bus to see if it works," McVay said.

Outside City Hall, a half-dozen people got on the shuttle. Some previously used the city-funded shuttle to the station but said they prefer the new 30-passenger one.

Nguyen of Norco began taking the train about a year ago because of high gas prices and traffic congestion on 91. The commute is about the same, an hour and a half. But he can just kick back instead of concerning himself with slogging through traffic.

"I really enjoy this one because it has more room and it smells better," Nguyen said, noting the new-car scent.

Daniel Delperdang of Riverside, who works in the City Hall mailroom, said city incentives and convenience of the shuttle convinced him to take the train instead of drive.

Related Links

A new shuttle delivers commuters to the Canyon train station in Anaheim Hills Thursday. Anaheim Transportation Network, which runs a series of shuttles mostly around Disneyland, has added a route to the Canyon train station in Anaheim Hills. The route is meant for commuters from the Inland Empire, who can take the shuttle to work in downtown or resort area. JOSHUA SUDOCK, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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